At the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards,
Katy Perry performed "Unconditionally" while suspended high above the stage. She began the song looking like a human maypole. After that, the singer flew into the air, resembling a disco ball. It was only at the end that the "Prism" motif -- derived from Perry's album title -- was more obvious than these other themes.

You can't fault Perry's showmanship. This was easily the most colorful performance of the night. It may have even been one of the most beautiful, and it was hard to look away. It's just that the meaning behind Katy Perry's show didn't always come through.

With the maypole-style beginning, one might have wondered how exactly Perry stayed perched at the top of a tall and thin pole. Dancers circled her below, each wrapping a brightly colored drapery around Katy.

The motif changed a bit partway through the song. Leaving her maypole perch, Perry literally flew into the air, shining and sparkly as she sang to the sky. Turns out, the singer was hanging from above the whole time. Someone did a great job hiding that in the earlier part.

While "disco ball" might be the first thought that jumped into the non-fan's brain, the swirling colors and rainbows and light triangle pointed in the correct direction: a prism.